1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wireless video audio data remote system.
2. Description of Related Art
The nature of business organizations and their employees is generally such that, in most any subject, there are a relatively small number of persons with extensive training and experience (e.g., xe2x80x9cexpertsxe2x80x9d) and a relatively large number of persons with only limited training and experience (e.g., technicians). This problem is exacerbated by the relatively larger costs associated with the former. Accordingly, when a business organization seeks to apply a person""s skills to a problem, it is often faced with the fact that persons with the extensive training and skill are a scarce resource.
With many problems, and in particular with the problem of servicing and trouble-shooting equipment, experience shows that most tasks require only a subset of the full experience that characterizes experts in the field, and that those tasks can be adequately carried out by entry-level technicians. However, when a technician is confronted with a task requiring an expert, often the only indicator thereof is the technician""s inability to solve the problem. Sometimes the technician""s lack of extensive knowledge can actually make the problem worse. These effects serve to increase the cost, time, effort, and frustration associated with the servicing and troubleshooting equipment.
One method in the prior art has been to advise technicians at a fixed location using audio video and data transmission over various wired networks. An example of this is U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,183 (Ziegra et al.). The main disadvantage of that fixed-site system is that remote-site technician oversight is impractical when a mobile work force requires video, audio and data transmission from continually changing job site locations. Another disadvantage is that the fixed-site to fixed-site system software does not fully utilize the idea of xe2x80x9cleveraged expertisexe2x80x9d.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a method and system by which technicians can perform the tasks they are adequately trained for, in a wireless environment, while allowing experts to assist them when expert assistance is required.
The invention provides a method and system for remote assistance and review of a technician or group of technicians working with equipment of various complexity. In a preferred embodiment, a technician at a remote job site is coupled to an advisor manning a local station (where xe2x80x9clocalxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cremotexe2x80x9d are relative to a remote apparatus being controlled or serviced by the technician, and do not necessarily denote large distance) in such a manner that the advisor may view and hear the same stimuli as the technician and that the advisor and technician can communicate.
In a preferred embodiment, a technician at a remote job site may be coupled by a wireless communication link(s) to a local station. The technician at the remote job site wears an apparatus consisting of a video and audio sensor, such as a camera and a microphone, and a receiver for the communication link, such as earphone or speaker and a wireless portable data processor. The communication link comprises a wireless communication path to/from the local station, and may further comprise data encoding, compression, and error correction/detection devices. The local station comprises a video and audio display, such as a monitor and a speaker, software that allows for real-time communication to multiple technicians, and a transmitter for the communication link with the remote job site, such as a microphone.
In a preferred embodiment, the technician may comprise an individual or group with limited training or otherwise in need of support, such as a field engineer or technician. The technician(s) should generally know how to operate the remote job site apparatus, but need not have extended or specialized knowledge with regard thereto. The advisor may comprise an individual or group with extensive training and able to provide technical support, who generally does have extended and specialized knowledge with regard to the remote job site apparatus, such as a technical expert on the remote job site apparatus. In an alternative embodiment, the technician(s) may comprise an individual or group with technical training and knowledge, but lacking managerial or other authority, while the advisor(s) are an individual or group with such authority.
In a preferred embodiment, the technician(s) couples the remote job site communication apparatus to the wireless communication link(s) and to the local station communication apparatus. The technician(s) may communicate with the advisor(s) by visual cues or ordinary speech, while the advisor(s) may view and listen to the remote job site apparatus. The advisor(s) may give advice to the operator for manipulating the remote job site apparatus, and may manipulate the remote job site apparatus directly by means of the control signal or data signal feeds. Thus, the technician(s) may service/repair/operate the remote job site apparatus as if the advisor were peeking over his shoulder.
In an alternative embodiment, an intermediate advisor may advise/control the technician(s) and be advised/controlled by a higher-level advisor.